The Ottoman Empire's 1826 Auspicious Incident

In 1826, Ottoman Sultan Mahmud II did the unthinkable: he destroyed the elite Janissary corps that had served the empire for nearly five centuries. This episode explores the Auspicious Incident (Vaka-i Hayriye) — how Mahmud II planned the Janissaries' elimination, used the new Eşkinci corps as a pretext, and ordered artillery to fire on his own soldiers in the Hippodrome of Constantinople. We discuss the Janissary revolt of June 15, 1826, the siege of their barracks at Et Meydanı, the execution of thousands, and the abolition of the Bektashi order linked to them. We also examine the consequences: the creation of the modern Asakir-i Mansure-i Muhammediye army, Mahmud II's centralizing reforms, and the long-term impact on Ottoman military modernization. Why did Mahmud II risk civil war? How did he outmaneuver the Janissaries politically? And what does this event reveal about the tensions between tradition and reform in the Ottoman Empire? #OttomanEmpire #MahmudII #Janissaries #VakaiHayriye #AuspiciousIncident #OttomanArmy #1826 #OttomanHistory #Bektashi #Eşkinci #OttomanReform #JanissaryRevolt #Hippodrome #Istanbul #AsakiriMansure #History #FexingoHistory #EuropeanHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo